Nothing hits quite like the uniqueness of college football on the island. Fans and bettors alike have a Hawaii Rainbow Warriors game to look forward to in Week 1 as they host the UCLA Bruins at the Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex.
Find out why my UCLA vs. Hawaii predictions and college football picks believe favored UCLA is offering value on Saturday, August 31.
UCLA vs Hawaii prediction
My best bet
UCLA -14 (-110 at BetMGM)
My analysis
It’s the start of a new chapter for the UCLA Bruins football program. After six mostly inglorious years under Chip Kelly, they are under new management as DeShaun Foster, a first-time head coach at this level, takes the reins.
Most are expecting the Bruins to take a step back this season. While that could be the case, they’d need to take a pretty big step back to fall short of expectations in this game as they’re undervalued in my opinion. Chip Kelly wasn’t exactly doing great things for this program lately and much of the pessimism derives from their tough schedule and their coach’s rough interviews — neither of which apply here.
The Hawaii Rainbow Warriors are in Year 3 under Timmy Chang. I’m still waiting around to see if he can develop a quality football program and I haven’t seen enough proof in the pudding yet.
He inherited a mess in 2022 and can’t be faulted for his team’s 3-10 record. They then went 5-8 a year ago, taking a step forward but still finishing just 95th in EPA per play on offense and 101st on defense.
The 2024 opener did not instill much confidence as they put forth a lackluster 35-14 win over a moribund Delaware State team in which Hawaii pulled away late to make the victory look more impressive than it really was. To put that into context, North Carolina Central beat Delaware State by 41 points a year ago, and UCLA pounded that North Carolina Central team by a score of 56-7.
UCLA took it to the Mountain West champions a year ago, handling Boise State with ease (35-22 final score, averaged 8.0 yards per play) in the LA Bowl. Hawaii is a lower-mid Mountain West team that lost at home to bottom-of-the-barrel Pac-12 team Stanford by 13 points last year. Now consider that the spread for this game is 14 points.
UCLA has an underrated offense led by quarterback Ethan Garbers (72.7 passing grade per PFF). The offensive line holds a huge size advantage and should pave the way for a big day from running back T.J. Harden, and the wide receiving room is ready for a step forward after last year’s fruitless offensive experiment under Kelly.
Wins won’t be easy to come by with this schedule but this is an opportunity for the Bruins to start on the right foot.
UCLA vs Hawaii same-game parlay (SGP)
UCLA -13.5
T.J. Harden anytime TD
Titus Mokiao-Atimalala anytime TD
Ethan Garbers Over 194.5 passing yards
Hawaii’s defensive front seven will be at a disadvantage after losing four starters along the defensive line. They’ll be outsized and UCLA should lean on Harden, who had 969 scrimmage yards and nine touchdowns a year ago while splitting carries. The workload is all his this year, and he should be the offense's focal point.
With the running game moving the ball, Garbers should be able to pick his spots through the air with three talented wide receivers to target. Reports out of camp were that Titus Mokiao-Atimalala looked like a go-to receiver after sitting out a year ago. This will be a homecoming for the Hawaii native whose brother, Tamatoa, is a starting receiver for the Rainbow Warriors.
Learn how to bet a same-game parlay with these helpful tips and strategies.
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UCLA vs Hawaii odds
UCLA vs Hawaii live odds
UCLA vs Hawaii opening odds
- Spread: UCLA -12.5 | Hawaii +12.5
- Moneyline: UCLA -536 | Hawaii +381
- Over/Under: Over 55.5 | Under 55.5
UCLA vs Hawaii spread and Over/Under analysis
- Hawaii has struggled against Pac-12 (now former Pac-12!) opponents, going 0-6 ATS in its last six tries.
- UCLA is 8-1 straight up in its last nine non-conference games with an average winning margin of 22.2 points.
- Hawaii is 1-5 O/U in its last six games at home.
UCLA vs Hawaii betting trend to know
Hawaii is 2-6 ATS in its last eight non-conference home games. Find more college football betting trends for UCLA vs Hawaii.
UCLA vs Hawaii game info
| Location: | Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex, Honolulu, HI |
| Date: | Saturday, 8-31, 2024 |
| Kickoff: | 7:30 p.m. ET |
| TV: | CBS |
UCLA vs Hawaii latest injuries
UCLA vs Hawaii weather
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